NDA to announce its presidential candidate before June 23: Naidu

18 June, New Delhi

The NDA will announce its presidential candidate before June 23, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here today. Mr Naidu met Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who has returned from London after undergoing treatment for heart ailment where the two leaders discussed the name of the presidential candidate.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Mr Naidu said the decision on the NDA’s presidential candidate would be announced before June 23.

The LJP, one of the allies of BJP ruled NDA Government at the Centre, said it would support candidate proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Lok Janshakti Party will support the Presidential candidate proposed by the Prime Minister,” Mr Paswan told reporters.

Mr Naidu met Mr Paswan to enquire about the LJP leader’s health. ”Visited my colleague Shri Ram Vilas Paswan ji… Enquired about his health,” Mr Naidu tweeted. ”Union Minister Sh Venkaiya Naiduji met me at residence and he conveyed his best wishes,” Mr Paswan tweeted.

The Government is holding parleys with Opposition parties in a bid to arrive at consensus for Presidential nominee, but so far none of the sides had declared its candidate. BJP chief Amit Shah has set up a three-member team comprising Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley to discuss the matter with the Opposition, and these Union Ministers have so far spoken to various leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi.